Concerns about zoning
Published 3:04 pm Friday, February 12, 2016
In a fall 2015 county council meeting, council member Rick Hughes expressed a concern that current zoning does not meet the proper balance needed between environmental protection and development.
The county is currently rezoning much of the county shoreline ostensibly to eliminate confusion. In almost every case where there is a differing zoning for the intertidal zone and the water off shore of this zone, the least environmentally restrictive of the two is chosen to replace both, creating one zoning from the high tide mark seaward. They call the current situation multiple zoning, but actually, each piece of earth is currently uniquely zoned, so there is no confusion, just unwanted restrictions. According to information shared at a recent council meeting, this will result in an approximate reduction from 40 percent of protected shoreline to 10 percent. If one computes the actual area of water affected the percent is much higher. This results in no net loss, according to the council.
The push for rezoning seems to be the desire to eliminate nonconforming uses in the county.
If the zoning for a nonconforming project is changed to make this project conforming, current restriction would be lost, allowing expansion of previously nonconforming projects. So much for no net loss.
But this is not all. The county council has created a, unique to San Juan County, zoning classification called PMT, Ports, Marinas and Marine Transportation which, according to a Colin Maycock, county senior planner, would allow any marine related activity. How about a major cruise ship pier at Jackson Beach, a propane storage facility on Stuart, maybe a marine full service boat yard on Decatur? These projects are not currently proposed, just examples of projects that the counties proposed new zoning would permit.
Perhaps the majority of San Juan County residents support this political agenda. Once development is allowed it just increases, and recovery is very difficult. The county has recently received almost one million dollars for projects aimed at habitat recovery; perhaps we should send the money back.
Jonathan Bryan
Friday Harbor
